Boat-launching mechanism



'1 AS5359 G. WRIGHT BOAT LAUNCHING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 24 1919 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 wue/wtoz 6206 5 Wwsnr 3513 his abhor/V1425 May 15, 1923.

G. WRIGHT BOAT LAUNGHING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 24 1919 351 411 Worm May 15, 1923. 1,455,159

,G. WRIGHT BOAT LAUNGHING MECHANI SM Filed Sept. 24 1919 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 his atto'bna IASSJSQ G. WRIGHT BOAT LAUNCHING' MECHANISM Filed Sept. 24 1919 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 J W. A m a I I m I M I 51402 @1- for, 6 0F 15 W57 May 15, 1923.

. 11,455,159 G. WRIGHT I BQAT LAUNCHING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 24 1 919 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Snow 1 60a Patented May 15, 1923. i I

GEORGE WRIGHT, OF SOUTH ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

ri'rs BOAT-LAUNCHIN'G JVIEGHANISM.

Application filed September 24, 1919. Serial No. 326,031.

1 call whom. it may con ern the arrangement of the double multiple pul- Be it known that I, GEORGE W & ley blocks and cable rove thereon.

citizen of the United States, and a resident Flgure 8 is a schematic view showing the of S th Ora county f Essex St t f electric circuits and electro-inechanical in- New Jersey, have invented certain new and s uments operated thereby.

useful Improvements in Boat-Launching Mechanisms, of. which the following is a f ll clear d exact d i ti In the employment of the present inven Among the principal objects which the @1011 It is designed to g to the 051001" in 1 0" present invention hag in ie X are; to ljg charge Of VG SSQ l t0 Ll lS (l5 s th ylif bo ts f in esgelin pose the life boats of the sh1p 1n position position to receive their passengers rapidly l'ecelve the P e gers either in groups or and automatically; t-o'mechan'ically dispose M3 the $211116 j Also it is intended boats of a sea vessel in p i the beats \Vlll arrested the Stiltion to receive the passengers' in groups of 510115 most l s 1 P greater or smaller numbers; to actuate roechg and Crew; h 151118 111 V GW Certain anisms for launching boats in the manner Of h mechimlsms W l1l have InOre limited described from a single station; to adjust the @XerOlSe 0f H181? functions than others, to the l m i hi h is fdp tti g th b t end that certain boats will pass from the 20 Over the side f the eggl 1- fg bOtLl) deck t0 tllQ, promenade CltZCk others b0 them on the vessel; and to sin'iplit'y theconll mam deck and y Others to @116 Wash struction of n' echanis 'n hich the deck. lJOatS at: tllelr StatiOn S be b v t t d bj t accmnijhshed secured and controlled by the crew assigned 4 to each boat. The result of this arrange- I ment would be that a great deal of the panic so Figure 1 is a side View of a mechanism a d Confusion arising event Of 2111 constructed andarra-nged in accordance with emergency sea from the not that 1 the present invention, the same being shown 5611556133 2 crew are c mp led to pass from in the position assumedthereby atthe initi 01 to deck by means oi constricted or 11111 30' ation of the launching operation. ited passageways or ladders, also to the fact Fi 9 i a i il r i w h i th that the crews are lntertered Wltll by the mechanism and the boat controlled thereby Passengers d P vented from unshipping in the position assumed at the end of the the boats expeditiously as otherwise. peration for taking the b af, 0n bm-d the WOUlCl be eliminated. It is obvious that if 35 vessel l the boat stations of passengers and crew are Fi 3 i a ti l ti of th b t assigned with reference to the accessibility a d ele atio f one of th d vit f otthe passengers and crew the disorders crating the same, the section beingtaken as red to Wi l largely disappear. on theline 3 in Figure 2, WVith these objects in view the invention 4 Fi 4 i an l tio ffh it embodies davits having booms 15, which are davit, the view being taken as on the line pivoted by bolts 16 on standards 17. The d t in Figure 2. standards 17 are bolted securely to the boat Figure 5 is a view showing in reduced deck, each standard having a foot 18 through scale the section'of a fragment of a} ea which bolts are passed; The bolts 16 are 45 going vesseland: mechanism mount-ed theredisposed somewhat below the center of the on constructed and arranged in accordance davlts. Normally the davits are prevented with the present invention and in broken from swinging on the pivot bolts 16 by lines the activeposition in two stages of the blocks 19 against which the lower end or operation of said mechanism. foot of each of the davits rests. The blocks "Figure-'61s'adetailviewcn enlarged scale 19 are held in position-by suitable springs m showing the swinging arm and fixed ped 0r counterbalances. In service the davits estal o-fafdavit forming part ofthe present are rocked to the vertical or inclined posimechanism; saidwdavitbeing swung to the tion which they assume by the pull of the active position thereof. lifting cables 20 on the pulleys 21 housed Figure 7 is a'detail view in planshowing in the blocks 22. The blocks 22 are slid- Descm'p Zion.

Figures.

, therewith.

ably mounted on the rectangular ends 23 of the davits 15 and are secured in either of the two positions referred to by the pins 24 when the same are inserted in the holes 25 and 26, the former being disposed above the bolts 16, and the latter below the said bolts. The blocks 22 are so shifted as to accommodate the movement of the boat 27 to which are connected the ends of the cables 20. The boat 27 normally rests in cradles 28, to be lifted therefrom when the cables 20 are drawn upon. The cables 20 are rove around pulleys in theblocks 29 and 30 which are disposed as shown in Figure 7 of the drawings. The blocks 29 are anchored while the blocks 30 move with the cross bar 31. The cross bar 31 has an eyelet 32 which is secured to a cable i a The cable 33 is carried to a winch 34 operated when the circuit incorporating the motor attached thereto is closed. As shown in Figure 8 the circuit is closed at the operating station generally on the bridge of the vesseland accessible to the commanding officer. It will be noted that the fixed end of one of the cables 20 is anchored or belayed on the pin 35 which is made fast to the deck of the ship. t

hen desiring to put the boats overboard it becomes necessary to throw the latch blocks 19 and the saddles 36 of the cradles 28 in which the boat 27 rests. The saddles 36 will pivot on pivot rods 37. The pivot rods 37 have upstanding arms 38 one of which is attached by a line 39 to the pull cable 33. The saddles 36 are inter-connected by the cable 40 while each is operatively connected by cables 41 to the latch blocks 19 adjacent thereto. One of the cables 41 it will be noted is attached to the lower extension of the arm 38, so that when the said arm is rocked with the saddle 36 associated therewith, the latch block 19 connected to the said arm will fall inward in simulation of the movement of the block 19 at the opposite end of the boat. I The upper ends of the davits 15 have bows or heads 42 from which are hung the pulley blocks 43 and through which pass the lifting cables 20. The heads 42 extend in a plane parallel with the keel of the boat. As seen best in Figure 5 of the drawings when the davits 15 are rocked to overhang the sides of the vessel they are supported by the piston rods 44. The piston rods 44 are reciprocally mounted in a dashpot 45, the usual construction and arrangement being provided in the dashpot to regulate the rapidity of movement of the piston rods 44 and of the davits 15 and members associated At the end of the stroke of the piston 44 in the pot 45 the said piston becomes intermediate support for the davits, as shown in the said Figure 5. It is obvious that although the dashpot offers resistance to the outward fall of the davits 15 the resistance is much modified or totally eliminated when the clavit is being drawn in-' as is usual in the construction of the same.

The normal arrangement of the heads 42 is that shown in Figure 1. In this position the davits will swing outward when the boat 27 is lifted, due to the fact that the pull of the cable 20, as seen in Figure 4, is outward, due to the fact that the said cable extends around the guide pulleys 46 and 47 the former being disposed. between the standards 17 and the edge of the deck.

lVhen the oilicer in charge throws the switch 48 to close the operating circuits controlling one or all. of the motors attached to the winches 34, the said winches draw up on the cable to lift the boats 27, directly above the cradles 28. At the same time, through the medium of the line 39 and cables 40 and 41, the saddles 36 and the latch blocks 19 are drawn out of the path of the boat 27, and of the lower end 23 of the davits 15. The outward pull of the cables 20 on the pulleys 21 in the block 22 disposed above the bolts 16 rocks the davits to carry the head 42 thereof beyond the sideof the vessel, this movement being regulated by the dashpots 45 and piston rods 44 therein.

When the davits 15 have been thrown off of centre, the weight of the boat 27 is sufficient to carry the head 42 of the davits to the outermost positions. When the cable20 has been wound up by the winch 34 sufficiently to lift and free the boat 27 the operation of the winch is arrested and held by suitable brakes until the davits swing to the full outward position thereof. When the davits swing to the outward position the winches are released to the end that the cable 33 is paid outto release the cables 20 until the boat27 is dropped to the desired or boat leading position as shown in Figure 5 of the drawings in the upper position inclicated by broken lines therein. The automatic control of the boat loading mechanism ceases at this point. the extent to which the cables 20 are paid out before the boat is in the boat loading position depends upon the boat loading po sition assigned thereto. It will be understood that all of this operation is automatic, resulting upon the closing of the electric circuits for energizing motors connected with winches for pulling the cables 33. YVhen the officers and crew take charge of the boat in the boat loading position the operation of theboats is controlled by an electric circuit and switch contained in the boat and operable by the oificer in charge. When the circuit is closed the motor turns the winchto wind thecable 33 and to draw the cables 20 and boats connected therewith upward; VVhenthe switch is open the me- As indicated above,

tor is cut out and an electric brake holds the winch. By means of an electric circuit the brake may be released and the winch 34 be permitted to pay out the cable 33, with the result that the cables 20 and boats connected therewith are lowered under control of the oiiicer in charge. YVhen the boat reaches the water the cables 20 are released in the usual manner and the boat draws away from the side of the ship.

In boat drills the boats are returned from the water'by attaching the ends of the cables 20 to the eyes in the ends of the boat provided therefor. The blocks 22 are shifted from engagement with the holes 25 to engagement with the holes 26. As long as the weight oi the boat and the load carried thereby is lifted the davits remain in the inclined outreaching position. When however the boats are arrested in their upward travel the drawing effect of the cables 20 on the pulleys 21 is to rock the davits to the upright or vertical position, due to the fact that the blocks 22 are at the lower eXtremity of the ends 23 of the davit which for the time eXtend inward away from the side of the vessel and from the then position of the boats.

When the davits 15 have assumed the vertical position and the boats 27 are above the cradles 28, the winches 34 are operated to lower the boats and the same rest in the saddles 36 which are moved to the upright position to receive the same. The blocks 19 and parts operatively connected therewithare then manually disposed in position to prevent the accidental swing of the davits 15.

Olaf/ms.

1. A'mechanism as characterized comprising a plurality of boat handling mechanisms each embodying a plurality of suspension davits, pivots for said davits, a plurality of guide pulleys slidably mounted on said davits for adjustment at opposite sides of said pivots, and hoisting cables operatively mounted on said davits for engaging the said guide pulleys in adjusted positions.

2. A mechanism as characterized comprising a plurality of boat handling mechanisms each embodying a plurality of suspension davits, pivots for said davits, a plurality of guide pulleys slidably mounted on said davits for adjustment at opposite sides of guide pulleys slidably mounted on said davits for adjustment at opposite sides of said pivots, hoisting cables operatively mounted on said davits for engaging the said guide pullevs in adjusted positions, means for locking said davits in vertical position, and means for releasing said davits, said means being operable simultaneously with the hoisting ofthe lifting cables associated with said davits.

4. A mechanism as characterized comprising a plurality of boat handling mechanisms each embodying a plurality of suspension davits, pivots for said davits, a plurality of guide pulleys slidably mounted on said davits for adjustment at opposite sides of said pivots; and hoisting cables operatively mounted on said davits for engaging the said guide pulleys in adjusted positions.

5. A mechanism as characterized comprising, a plurality of boat handling mechanisms each embodying a plurality of suspension davits, pivots for said davits, a plurality of guide pulleys slidably mounted on said davits for adjustment at opposite sides of said pivots, hoisting cables operatively mounted on said davits for engaging the said guid pulleys in adjusted positions; and means for locking said davits in vertical position.

6. A mechanism as characterized comprising, a plurality of boat handling mechanisms each embodying a plurality of suspension davits, pivots for said davits, a plurality of guide pulleys slidably mounted on said davits, for adjustment at opposite sides of said pivots, hoisting cables operatively mounted on said davits for engaging the said guide pulleys in adjusted positions; means for locking said davits in vertical position; and means for releasing said davits, said means being operable simultaneously with the hoisting of the lifting cables associated with said davits.

GEORGE WRIGHT. 

